They say there’s no such thing as a stupid question but Joe, my golf instructor in Biarritz, disagrees. “When I go home to Florida, my friends ask how I like living here. It’s the stupidest question I ever heard.” Pointing to the surf crashing on the rocks below the greens, he asked, “Look around, who wouldn’t love living here? ”
He didn’t have to convince me. Biarritz is called Europe’s California and the similarities are striking. The weather is comparable to the Monterey/Carmel area and residents spend their free time golfing and surfing. The difference is that Biarritz has an aristocratic air. Sunbathers still rent candy colored tents on the “Grande Plage,” the main beach, and surfers have a backdrop of 1920’s architecture.
Fortunately, this playground for the rich and famous doesn’t take itself too seriously. How can it when the CEOs, today’s royalty, are falling off surfboards? Known as the capitol of surfing in Europe, Biarritz offers funky hangouts next door to chic bistros. There is an easy coexistence between the old and the new, young and the elderly, wealthy and student backpacker. The term casual elegance could have been invented for Biarritz.
Start your trip by walking to the lighthouse where you can see the mountains of Spain and the old fishing cove, now a popular restaurant spot. For detailed information on what to do, visit the official government tourism site, www.biarritz.fr/anglais.
This former whaling village became a cosmopolitan playground when Napoleon the III’s wife, Empress Eugenie, built their summer home on the sand. The Emperor’s Palace has been converted into a five star hotel so you too can be a guest of royalty. Hotel du Palais was recently renovated and the new floors made me feel like a passenger on an elegant vintage cruise ship, complete with portholes where I spied on surfers and beachcombers. Next door, the Casino lights beckon, and it’s easy to imagine Frank Sinatra, a former guest, trying his luck at the roulette table.
The good news is that Biarritz is becoming a year round destination. Skip July and August, when the population explodes, and reserve a place in spring or fall, when the scenery is the same, but the crowds are non-existent.
I decided to get in the spirit of the town’s golden era by “taking the baths.” The seawater of Biarritz is rumored to cure all your ills--including insanity. The area was such a popular place for treating the mentally deranged in the 18th century it was nicknamed “Madman’s Coast.” I admit to my share of pms so my husband Rich booked a treatment for me at the Hotel Sofitel Spa.
The French do not believe in fitness regimes like U.S. resorts. Instead women and men are expected to sit in sea water and let thassotherapy do all the work. There are a number of options including a salt scrub and soaking in a bathtub of ocean water. I recommend the seaweed wrap. You’re ensconced in green seaweed and then wrapped in plastic and left in a dark room. I looked like a green tortilla, but who cares, my aches and pains melted away and my skin was soft for days.
Golf is also part of the culture in France and Biarritz is encouraging young people to take up the sport. There’s even an international golf training center where you can visit a row of offices and interview potential instructors. Once you’ve selected a pro, work on your short and long game over the 17-acre practice range. If your game is off, blame it on the captivating view of the ocean.
At the same time Biarritz clings to its traditions, it embraces new ideas. Surfing has introduced a new energy and swarms of young people to the city. The sport came relatively late to the area, in 1957. When Deborah Kerr was filming the movie, The Sun Also Rises,” her screenwriter husband Peter Viertel spent his days surfing. Today international surfing contests are de rigueur. Older guys who ride the waves are welcome and affectionately nicknamed “surf uncles.”
If your idea of exercise is shopping, follow me. Biarritz is small and easy to get around. It has a street market every morning from 8 to noon. After you’ve picked out some espadrilles, go next door to the food market and grab some cheese and bread for a picnic on the beach. If you’re lucky, a spot next to the oyster vendor might be empty and you can enjoy glass of wine with your fresh seafood selection. Around the corner, the downtown is filled with typical European winding streets. Don’t miss 64, the store named after Biarritz’ zip code. Everything from sweatshirts to wallets has the number in bright colors.
Several museums are within walking distance, including the aquarium. The chocolate museum sounds appetizing but visitors told me it’s disappointing. Head instead for the quirky Asiatic museum, a personal collection of art from a local couple who lived in India for decades and have collected antiques coveted by museums around the world. Surprised that an Asian museum would be among the top cultural attractions in France? This is Biarritz, with influences from around the world.
Take 100 Marches, a park above the ocean that comes alive at sunset. Locals line up at the beach hut selling sangria, beer and tapas and watch a game of Jai Alai, an ancient ball game that uses a basket, while they wait. The woman standing next to me was visiting her mother in Biarritz. She lives in New York and is part of a theater group that dresses up in pink flight attendant uniforms from the 1950’s. Rich was busy chatting to a Swedish woman who just got a job as a physical therapist and my American golf instructor was in line for a beer. Biarritz is an international city.
It’s the gateway to the Basque country, an area with it’s own language, customs and identity that has been preserved despite being surrounded by France and Spain. No one knows where the Basque people originated, but one thing is for sure, it’s a unique destination you must see. Karl Lagerfeld has a home here and if it’s good enough for the former Chanel designer, it’s good enough for me.
Saint Jean De Luz is a fishing village where artists paint landscapes on the street corners and the buildings are a riot of color, thanks to the Basque tradition of using leftover paint from fishing boats for houses painting.
Inland, visit Ainhoa, the town famous for discovering the pimento. Here you’ll find cheeses, jelly, and even perfume infused with pepper.
One of the best reasons to visit Biarritz is the food. It’s hard to go wrong anywhere, but here are a few of my favorite places.
Pizza Majestic: Order the signautre dish (mussels on a pizza) and sip sangria from a ceramic jug as you watch the local children practice soccer.
La Plancha: You can’t get a reservation here, but if you’re lucky, a table will open up and it’s worth a wait. This causal spot overlooking the beach offers the local fish special grilled in garlic, oil and vinegar, made for two.
Maison Blanche: Sit outside and watch the world go by. We met a female professional surfing champion while sipping champagne.
Fine dining, sports, shopping, they’re all good, but some children made me realize the real reason to visit Biarritz. Watching them scream as they ran down the beach throwing white t-shirts in the air, I wanted to join them and then I realized that reason to visit Biarritz is very simple. You can be a kid again.
Details:
www.biarritz.fr/anglais
www.hotel-du-palais.com
Hotel Sofitel Spa
www.golf-ilbarritz.com
